Heavy hauling vehicles for moving transformers, cranes, boats, industrial equipment, and other heavy objects are well known in the art. An example of such a vehicle is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,078 which discloses a heavy load hauler for traveling on conventional roadways for moving heavy construction equipment such as cranes or the like from one work site to another. The hauler includes a front tractor drawn carriage, a rear carriage, and a load unit disposed between and carried by the carriages. The front carriage is supported upon a multiplicity of independent wheel and axle units. There is a first fifth wheel coupling at the leading end of the front carriage for connecting to the fifth wheel coupling of a tractor. A second fifth wheel coupling is spaced rearwardly. The load carrying rear carriage is also supported upon a multiplicity of independent wheel and axle units. There is a fifth wheel coupling intermediate the leading and trailing ends of the carriage. The load unit has forwardly and rearwardly projecting goosenecks. Each gooseneck has a fifth wheel coupling. The one on the forwardly projecting gooseneck connects to the fifth wheel coupling on the front carriage. The one on the rearwardly projecting gooseneck connects to the fifth wheel coupling on the rear carriage. The load unit may be either the crane itself or a flatbed upon which the crane is carried. At least some of the independent wheel and axle units are steerably mounted on their carriages. Each wheel and axle unit has its wheels supported by a hydraulic suspension. Hydraulic circuitry interconnects all of the suspensions so as to equally distribute the load among all of the wheel units. Steering of the independent wheel and axle units is interphased for the front and rear carriages by a pair of operatively associated interrelated inline valve cylinder units. FIG. 12A shows a valve 718 used in a power steering system which is coupled to a connecting link 703.
Other heavy hauling vehicles are sold by Goldhofer Fahrzeugwerk G.m.b.H. of Memmingen, Germany; Nicolas of Champs Sur Yonne, France; and Talbert of Rensselaer, Ind.
Improved systems having automatic steering at all speeds and suspension systems that respond rapidly to the varying road conditions imposed by higher speeds would greatly reduce the time and effort required to move the vehicle to the load, move the load, and return the vehicle to storage.